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Ford-less Gucci
- Thread starter bergdorf_blonde
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Hi all, this is my first post. I just want to say that whatever you think of Tom Ford, any person who can singlehandedly turn a dying fashion house into the world's 3rd largest luxury brand is a genious. His business acumen coupled with his creativity is what brought the company kicking and screaming into the consciousness of every woman out there. They've used the term before, but his story is one of legend. who wouldn't want to be the one to weave bronze into gold
mikeijames
no tom ford, no thanks.
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wow
....welcome to the fashion spot 
...i could not agree more. there are only a handful of people in this world that can create a sound, a look, an idea that appeals to men and women around the globe. tom ford stands in that number. like him or hate him, he repackaged and reintroduced the hedonism that we'd missed since the late seventies. and i dare say that gucci under his tutelage made something for everybody (from gucci rush that stormed retailers across the country to the most conservative loafer with his spit polish to made-to-measure suits to five inch crocodile pumps to the de riguer skirt suit the young set bought up in droves...the list goes on and on)Thanks mikeijames. Another thing i wanted to add. If you take a look at his firt few collections for Gucci, the clothes are timeless yet contemporary. Those shirts, jeweled satin shirts and hip hugging paints with fur or leather jackets are so completely womanly and modern.
And I don't know how old everyone on the board who bags him is, but i remember when his first collection came out for Gucci back in the early-mid 90's and i remember the hoopla around it. It was a real revolution.
And I don't know how old everyone on the board who bags him is, but i remember when his first collection came out for Gucci back in the early-mid 90's and i remember the hoopla around it. It was a real revolution.
Originally posted by LostInNJ@Oct 19 2004, 08:09 PM
Or notI am going to miss him. He has done a lot for fashion, and for Gucci, whether people here will admit it or not. No, his clothes aren't for everyone, but for those that covet his creations, he will be missed. I feel your pain
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Oh please....
Tom Ford was nothing more than a businessman. A business man that set out to rule the fashion industry in money-driven way. So what do you get? A high-gloss world filled with fakes and disllusionment. He dictated almost everything until this point with those stupid gimmicky shows and silly ad campaigns. Just like the other conglomerate ego maniacs in this industry. You use "his creations" or "his clothes" in a way that doesn't describe him at all. He designed absolutely nothing. Nor did he even respect true design. Just whatever turned a profit and got all the camera's on him. Fawn and cry all you want but he wasn't anything really.
PrinceOfCats
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I think the issue here might be do we value 'business acumen'? Tom Ford was certainly not creative, his 'hits' were rip-offs of old Gucci standbys, so his prime talent was as a 'businessman'. As I regard most businessmen as scum of the earth I don't think I'll be a TF convert anytime soon... Furthermore, I imagine the majority of the female population have little or no interest in Gucci, the majority of the female population live in third-world countries...
kimair
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yes, some of Tom Ford's successes (at least initially) were bringing back Gucci standards, like the horsebit loafer, bringing Gucci back to the forefront of the fashion world's conscious. But his later hits were new pieces for the house, pieces that will now be considered "iconic," like the white jersey dresses.
I don't think he was trying to bring Gucci to the forefront of the minds of ALL women, but definitely the ones who have an interest in high fashion, the ones who BUY fashion. The greatest testament to his success is that the Gucci look trickled down (love it or hate it) to everything from Banana Republic, Club Monaco and H&M. Again, as I stated in my post earlier, no one would even be talking about Gucci today if it wasn't for him. People now care about it.
PrinceOfCats
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But how does any of this make him a valued and interesting human-being? People took notice. He made lots of money. Does it matter?
mikeijames
no tom ford, no thanks.
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there is a fundamental disconnect between the way many people conceptualize fashion and how it really is as a business and industry. the decisions tom ford (domenico de sole cannot be left out here) made were nothing short of groundbreaking. they may not have began it, but they perfected this idea of taking a dusty near-bankrupt house with a surplus of heritage and brand identification and turning it into something desirable even to women (in the third world) to whom gucci is nothing more than a fantastic idea...
it takes skill to do that. i dare say it takes the same amount of skill as sketching out a new skirt or deciding on the seams in a new jacket. having designers think about more than their own personal vision and actually think about creating bestsellers is a legacy that will far outlive even tom's legacy.
without that, we'd never have the idea of houses like lanvin and burberry and rochas. they all have a hook (or gimmick, if you will)...i mean would you call elbaz's shows gimmicky bc they always include pearls, pleats, and bows? is slimane a gimmick bc he's always minimal, sharp, and androgynous? developing brand signature requires a little more than just a barebones knowledge of how to cut a garment. it takes a keen understanding of the business. and men like tom ford and karl lagerfeld and valentino have got it.
I think Scott has much more reverence to those who find meaning and beauty in designing clothes thatn to those who conduct business. The two don't have to be mutually exclusive (see Rei Kawabuko), but Ford is certainly not much of a designer (in my opinion). I daresay that Ford's success was based largely not on his designs but on his connections in the media and the celebrity world. Not to mention that the majority of Gucci sales came not from clothes but from shoes, bags and other accessories.
But Tom didn't start out with the connections, he gained them as do many designers. I mean, don't you think that YSL's praise of Pilati had something to do with his first collection getting so much attention?
I'm totally partial of course because I am a Ford fan, but even if you don't like him or what he's done, he does deserve respect for having vision. The thing with Gucci is, before he became creative director it was a house known for loafers and controversy. Now it's a fashion empire that the world looks to for the next big thing. He had a goal and he strove to achieve it. Under Ford Gucci has helped launch and re-launch countless trends.
That's just my view folks
metal-on-metal
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If you look at Tom's early collections for Gucci, you can see how amateur the design element is. Velvet pants and matching blazer. Jean skirt and flowy top. It's all just basic separates with a logo or some beading, topped off with status accessories. Nothing revolutionary at all.
The truth is, millions of dollars of advertising and clever editorial placement will take anyone and anything from zero to hero. Tom was successful in convincing millions of men and women that if they buy Gucci, they'll look classy, rich, and sexy. And when you don't have anything genuine to offer in the way of personality or intellect, that's all you aspire to be. Go to the Meatpacking District and you'll see these desperate women clomping around Pastis in their outrageous Gucci heels and ill-fitting skirt trying to look "sexy". It's so sad.
The truth is, millions of dollars of advertising and clever editorial placement will take anyone and anything from zero to hero. Tom was successful in convincing millions of men and women that if they buy Gucci, they'll look classy, rich, and sexy. And when you don't have anything genuine to offer in the way of personality or intellect, that's all you aspire to be. Go to the Meatpacking District and you'll see these desperate women clomping around Pastis in their outrageous Gucci heels and ill-fitting skirt trying to look "sexy". It's so sad.
fullfrontal
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I was over there the other weekend.ha, thats so very true..
regardless, their new designer needs to get the boot, she's REAL BAD,
at least Tom knew how to create a certain image.
..i absolutely and totally agree with metal's post and i want to welcome tctra on board
mikeijames
no tom ford, no thanks.
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honey, you're saying that like the marketing engines behind some of your beloved brands don't do the same thing...marketing, advertising, and fashion are interlocked; i say, tom ford and domenico de sole are some of the reasons for that (not to mention bernard arnault and anna wintour and carine roitfeld). sure, gucci is not af vandervost, but every woman can't be an edgy intellectual. it takes a unique connection and insight into the consumer of today to make something that's wildly popular worldwide; a well-cut velvet jacket, in and of itself, does not capture the imagination of a consumer...it's so much more than that. i don't care how well you make a shoe, it's not desireable unless it's in the right stores and worn by the right people. i don't know how or why you are making the arguement that marketing and advertising should be somehow demonized? that's not how most people see it. not in this country at least. if your problem with celebrity culture, we can discuss that in theory, but don't fault tom ford for earning his keep off of it. he's just a man that got the mandate to control and direct the creations and image of a superbrand. and he was extremely good at it.
